Partnering with Architects on Custom Commercial Enclosures

Every fabric in the system is certified flame resistant to NFPA 701, Test 1 and Test 2. The solid vinyl carries California State Fire Marshal listing F-41501, CPAI-84 and NYC MEA acceptance; the clear vinyl carries an NFPA 701-2019 Test Method 2 report; the sun shade mesh carries NFPA 701, California Title 19 and CAN/ULC S109. The certificates are in the fire documentation above, and we are glad to speak with the fire marshal or plan reviewer directly.

Our framed doors are built as egress points: a welded 2x2 steel frame 44 inches wide with a 40-inch leaf and an 84-inch door, a sheet-metal kick panel and plexi glazing so the exit reads from inside, a heavy-duty closer, three hinges, and a pull handle, opening outward. Panic hardware on request. The transom above is glazed or filled with the enclosure fabric to the beam. Zipper doors in manual systems are not egress; where a patio needs a rated exit we specify the framed door. The detail is the egress door sheet in the motorized submittal package, also available on its own in the library.

On a motorized system the hood mounts to the header or to our own aluminum posts, and the fabric edges ride in side tracks. Where the owner or landlord does not want fasteners in the facade, we set posts inside the patio line and nothing fastens to the columns or the building. There is no bottom attachment: a weighted bar with a brush sweeper seals the floor. Manual panels hang from a track at the header and clip to D-rings at the base.

One standard weatherproof 120 V GFCI outlet per motor, within 18 inches of the housing end. Each Simu tubular motor draws about 1.75 amps maximum and plugs in; nothing is hardwired. Wiring is by the owner’s electrician from our electrical requirements sheet. We mark outlet locations on the layout and do no electrical work ourselves.

Usually not. The system is not a structure: it adds no walls, roof or footings, and in more than twenty years of commercial work it has rarely needed a building permit. The exceptions are local rules such as historic districts or a landlord’s own review. Where a permit is required it belongs to the general contractor or owner; we supply the drawings, the certificates and a person who will talk to the reviewer.

A motorized unit weighs up to about 250 pounds installed at the largest sizes, with the heaviest around 16 feet wide, and the load is carried at the end caps into the header or the posts. Manual panels weigh a fraction of that and load the track along its length.

Dimensioned elevations of the openings, the roof or structure detail at the attachment line, and the intended use — weather, sun, or insects. Photos of the existing condition help more than almost anything else.

Motorized: openings up to 25' wide or 16' high (23' by 15' with clear vinyl), with MaxView clear panels up to 23' wide by 9' high. Manual: panels up to 12' wide or high, runs up to 100' split about every 10' and zipped together, clear windows to 10' high by 12' wide.

No, and this is the most important thing to know before specifying us. The roof or structure has to be in someone else's scope — ours starts at the enclosure. It can be built already or still in your drawings; what we never do is build the roof, awning, patio cover, or any structural element.

In most cases no. In rare situations, typically historic buildings, the customer is responsible for any permits.